Easy baked apples stuffed with delicious buttery apple cobbler stuffing for a perfectly sweet warmly-spiced individual portion size dessert. Fresh apples are baked to perfection with a magical concoction of flour, butter, pure maple syrup, warm spices, and walnuts.
I’ve been wanting to make baked apples for ages, and each time I set out to do so, I talk myself out of it. Why, you ask? Great question. I’m lazy.
Most recipes for baked apples you’ll see on the internet require you to expertly remove the core with a sharp paring knife and scoop out a wide enough opening to fit contents in there while leaving a ½ inch at the bottom. No easy feat for someone who has the patience of a toddler.
Well, I came up with my own solution, and it involves very little time or effort. The only caveat is you must have an apple corer for the easiest way of coring the apples. If you’re skilled with a paring knife, you’re in for a project, but I believe in you, soldier.
For me, this apple recipe is a lovely changeup from my classic Healthy Apple Crisp. Apple deliciousness dressed in a whole new outfit for a cozy treat!
What Makes This Recipe Special:
The best part about this easy recipe is the fact that the apples are stuffed with a cobbler topping mixture that tastes rich, buttery, warmly spiced and perfectly sweet for the perfect bite of bliss.
Look at it like a deconstructed apple pie or an individual cobbler sort of situation with a lovely apple-to-topping ratio. The way I see it, this easy recipe is perfect for those who love apple desserts, but don’t want to take the time or effort to make a whole apple pie or an apple cobbler.
In this sense, you can make just what you need for entertaining guests or enjoying with friends and family for any occasion. I allot for one full apple per person, or two stuffed apple halves.
The apples turn out perfectly soft with still plenty of structure such that you could pick up one of the halves and eat it. True story: this is what I do.
Pro Tip: Adding apple cider to the bottom of the baking dish creates a sort of steam bath for the apples so that they soften up nicely throughout the baking process.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for these easy baked apples.
Baked Apples Ingredients:
Fresh Apples: Truly any kind of apples work in this recipe, though some folks are biased toward specific varieties. Tart granny smith apples and pink lady apples give the traditional apple pie flavor, but sweeter apples like envy apples or Fuji apples (my favorite) have lovely firm texture in addition to being very sweet.
Flour: Creating a pie crust or cobbler topping sort of stuffing situation is truly the reason why we’re all here. We need either regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour to make this dream a reality.
Unsalted Butter: Responsible for the buttery flavor of the moist cobbler topping. This ingredient is what gives the apples an apple pie or apple cobbler vibe.
Pure Maple Syrup: The sweetener that also lends some maple flavor to the mix.
Pumpkin Pie Spice or Apple Pie Spice: A combination of warm spices really makes this unique recipe something special. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, use your own blend of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and cloves.
Sea Salt: Trust me on this one, the stuffing mixture needs some salt in order to complete the flavor profile!
Apple Cider: Used to help steam the apples during the baking process, apple cider or apple juice ensure the baked apples turn out with the perfect texture.
Ways to Customize Baked Apples:
- Skip the flour – Go rogue and stuff the apples with brown sugar, butter, chopped nuts, and/or your favorite dried fruit.
- Add some oats – Mix ½ cup of quick oats into the topping mixture for some oatty flavor and texture.
- Zest it up – Add 1 tablespoon of orange zest and/or ⅓ cup of dried cranberries or raisins for an even sweeter, more flavorful endeavor.
- Go dairy-free – Use avocado oil or melted coconut oil instead of melted butter.
- Switch up the nuts – Go with pecans, chopped cashews, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds instead of walnuts. Or, omit the nuts altogether.
How to Make Bakes Apples:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rinse the apples well, then dry them off using a kitchen towel. Use an apple corer or a pairing knife to core out the apples.
Slice the apples in half with a sharp knife and place apples in a large casserole dish. There should be a crevasse down the center of each apple due to the core being removed.
Mix all of the ingredients for the cobbler filling (melted butter, flour, chopped walnuts, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt) in a small bowl.
Stuff the centers of the apples with the cobbler mixture, and spread it over the tops too if you’d like.
Pour ⅔ cup of apple cider in the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the apples reach your desired level of doneness.
I like an al dente level of doneness, where the apples still hold their structure but have softened nicely.
Serve immediately with a drizzle with melted butter and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!
Store leftover apples in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The way I see it, these easy baked apples are perfect for entertaining guests during the holidays! Make it for your Thanksgiving table or any of your holiday gatherings!
I know your neighbor keeps bringing you heaps of apples from their apple tree, so I hope you enjoy this easy baked apples recipe throughout apple season on repeat!
Looking for more festive holiday desserts? Try some of my other favorites.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes:
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Silky Sweet Potato Pie
- Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
- Gluten-Free Cranberry Crumble
- Sweet Potato Crumble
Enjoy these cobbler baked apples throughout the fall baking season and beyond!
Baked Apples with Cobbler Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 apples Fuji, pink lady, granny smith, etc.
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 4 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅔ cup apple cider or apple juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse the apples well, then dry them off using a kitchen towel. Use an apple corer or a pairing knife to core out the apples. Slice the apples in half with a sharp knife and place apples in a large casserole dish. There should be a crevasse down the center of each apple due to the core being removed.
- Mix all of the ingredients for the cobbler filling (melted butter, flour, chopped walnuts, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt) in a small bowl.
- Stuff the centers of the apples with the cobbler mixture, and spread it over the tops too if you’d like.
- Pour ⅔ cup of apple cider in the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the apples reach your desired level of doneness. I like an al dente level of doneness, where the apples still hold their structure but have softened nicely.
- Serve immediately with a drizzle with melted butter and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions:
What kind of apples are the best for baking?
The best apples for baking apple recipes are Granny Smith, honey crisp apples, and pink lady apples. They all have firm snappy texture, which enables them to hold up during the baking process without becoming mushy.
This translates to an amazing texture in baked goods. The best type of apples for baking also depends on your personal preference, as any variety of apple works.
If you’re like me and you enjoy sweet apples, you may prefer fuji, gala, envy, or Braeburn apples. Some say jonagold apples are great too!
What can I use to stuff apples?
Brown sugar, butter, walnuts, pecans, raisins, and dried cranberries are all popular options for stuffing apples.
In fact, you don’t need to follow a recipe in order to have great success with stuffed apples. Simply stuff them with your choice of nut, dried fruit, sugar, and a pat of butter and bake until they reach your desired texture.
How long to bake apples for a very soft texture?
For very soft apples, use 1 cup of apple cider in the bottom of the pan and bake the apples without the topping for 40 minutes covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. Then, remove the foil, carefully stuff them with the topping, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the apples have reached your desired texture.
Can I skip the apple cider?
Yes, but I recommend using it. The recipe will still work without the apple cider, but the apples won’t cook as evenly and won’t turn out quite as soft. If you don’t have apple cider on hand, you can use apple juice, or simply water.
